Chapter 1877 - 2069: The Ultimate Battle (Part 1)

Upon hearing those words, Ling Chen’s face darkened. What a sinister tactic! He clearly understood Zhu Hong’s meaning; this was not a superfluous move, but a coercion. If victory or defeat could not be determined within ten minutes, then one of them must die in order to save Nanrong Wanqing.

"Zhu Hong, you are so despicable!" Nanrong Wanqing shouted angrily.

Zhu Hong sneered indifferently and said, "The winner takes all, no matter the tactics. Wanqing, this isn’t about despicability; it’s about strategy. Ling Chen, your time is running out; you’d better cherish it well."

Ten minutes... Ling Chen gritted his steel teeth and stopped hesitating. The Nine Yang Qiankun Step was instantly executed, like a gust of wind, charging directly at Zhu Hong. Watching Ling Chen rapidly approach, Zhu Hong’s face still bore a cold smile, unmoved, as if his opponent’s attack was not worth his attention.

A punch came crashing in, its ferocious Inner Strength seemingly solidifying the surrounding air. As the fist in his pupil grew larger, Zhu Hong leisurely reached out a hand, spread his five fingers, and effortlessly caught Ling Chen’s incoming fist. Instantly, Ling Chen’s forward momentum came to a halt; his fist could not advance an inch, completely blocked.

Seeing this, Ling Chen immediately withdrew and prepared to find another opportunity. However, to his surprise, his fist was firmly clamped, and no matter how hard he tried, the result wouldn’t change a bit. Zhu Hong’s hand was like a steel rod, something not achievable by human force.

"Your strength has improved greatly," Zhu Hong said, staring at Ling Chen’s sharp-featured face. "But unfortunately, you still fall short of being my opponent." With that, he swung his arm, sending Ling Chen’s body flying through the air towards a rock.

Whizz!

At this moment, the sound of something tearing through the air came, as an arrow flew from not far away, passing by Ling Chen. The latter understood, lightly tapping his toes on the arrow, immediately adjusting his body to land steadily on the ground.

As Zhang Zhongfeng took action, others rushed out from both sides, surrounding Zhu Hong completely.

"Big brother, take out the others first!"

Upon hearing Ling Chen’s call, Qiu Yong, without a word, led the eight strange ones to intercept all the Heavenly Dragon Sect disciples who came to the rescue. With their strength, dealing with these people was more than enough.

Whizz!

Suddenly, another sound pierced the air. Ling Chen thought it was an arrow from Zhang Zhongfeng, but he realized the direction was off—it was being shot straight at him. Sensing the impending force, he lightly tapped his toes and swiftly moved aside. As he shifted position, an arrow, twice the length of a regular one, landed on the ground.

This... Ling Chen glanced, then raised his head, following the direction from which the arrow came, only to see Chen Quan emerging with two modified repeating crossbows on his back. The crossbows were evidently altered, not only shooting longer arrows but also featuring a burst function, with each carrying more than a dozen arrows. If hit carelessly, one’s body would likely be pierced through.

As Chen Quan appeared, Ren Donglin, Golden Dragon, and Wang Teng immediately approached, surrounding Chen Quan. This was a pre-arranged plan. Although Chen Quan’s strength was formidable, Ren Donglin and the other two were veteran fighters in the Martial Arts, highly skilled, and their combined strength was more than enough to deal with one Chen Quan.

According to Ling Chen’s plan, a swift battle was necessary to quickly eliminate Chen Quan and the other members of the Heavenly Dragon Sect, then focus all efforts on dealing with Zhu Hong. If Zhu Hong did not die, defeating many others would be useless.

Taking advantage of Chen Quan being surrounded by Ren Donglin and the others, Ling Chen led the way, along with the old Daoist and Ling Gengqiu, attacking Zhu Hong together. Faced with their three-pronged attack, Zhu Hong slowly put away his smile, his eyes gradually becoming serious.

The momentum created by the three of them already hinted at a whiff of danger. Especially the old Daoist; he seemed to be the strongest among them. "Ling Chen, you’ve got some skills, actually finding such a powerful helper."

"Enough with the talk, die now!"

With a light shout, Ling Chen instantly closed in on Zhu Hong, throwing out rapid punches. Simultaneously, the old Daoist and Ling Gengqiu approached from the left and right, one blocking Zhu Hong’s retreat, the other assisting Ling Chen’s attack.

Under Ling Chen and Ling Gengqiu’s fierce assault, Zhu Hong kept a composed demeanor, defending himself with ambidexterity, forming an impenetrable barrier around himself, stopping their attacks from breaching. However, at that moment, a strong sense of danger ensued; Zhu Hong’s face slightly changed as he suddenly turned around, seeing the old Daoist extending two fingers, aiming straight for his body.

Though they were just two ordinary fingers, Zhu Hong sensed unprecedented peril, as if they were an unstoppable blade. Without further thought, he raised his flesh palm, meeting the old Daoist’s fingers.

At the instant the fingertips and palm met, a powerful wave of energy surged outward from their center, forcefully repelling Ling Chen and Ling Gengqiu, who were attempting to stealthily attack Zhu Hong’s back.

At this point, Zhu Hong and the old Daoist stood motionless on their original spots, yet their faces reddened, seemingly battling Inner Strength.

Seeing this scene, Ling Chen’s heart sank. Clashing Inner Strength was the most dangerous method. Unless one was a top master with utmost confidence, most martial artists would avoid engaging in such a duel. A slight mistake could result in severe injury or death, or even paralysis.

Witnessing their bodies start to tremble, Ling Chen grew anxious, eager to assist the old Daoist. Yet, the powerful outward-flowing Inner Strength from the two formed a barrier like a wall of air, blocking everyone outside. If forcibly disrupted, it might cause a backlash, resulting in severe consequences.

Bang!

Suddenly, a loud bang was heard, and Zhu Hong and the old Daoist’s bodies abruptly separated, both flying backward like broken kites, landing more than ten meters away.

"Old master!" Ling Chen cried out, rushing over to help the fallen old Daoist up.

"How are you doing? Are you alright?"

The old Daoist opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, a stream of blood spurted out, staining his gray robe on the chest.

"Old mas—"

"Stop yelling, I’m not dead yet." The old Daoist slowly stood up, gasping for air.

Meanwhile, Zhu Hong not far away also got up from the ground. He spat out bloody saliva and, looking at the slightly pale old Daoist, coldly laughed: "I didn’t expect... really didn’t expect, you also completed the third stage of evolution. It seems I’m not the only one who succeeded in this world."